Pardes Faculty Traveling

Kaf Tet B'November

2.Thanksgiving weekend, 1947 - the UN votes on the establishment of a
Jewish State

It was the Wednesday before Thanksgiving in 1947, and Abba Eban
and
the Jewish Agency delegation to the United Nations were concerned. A
preliminary vote showed that the Zionists did not have enough support
to pass the Partition Plan. Rodriguez Fabraget, Uruguay's
UN delegate,
kindly obliged Abba Eban's request for a filibuster
that succeeded in
postponing the vote until after Thanksgiving. They hoped the brief
extension would be enough time to secure the requisite two-thirds
majority that would approve the establishment of a Jewish State.

On November 29th, when the day of the vote came, Jews around the world
listened anxiously. Within a few brief moments, 20 centuries of Jewish
homelessness came to an end.

November 29, 1947: The Story of a Vote is the second installment in
the "Eyewitness 1948" short film series produced by ToldotYisrael and
the History Channel. The films are the centerpiece of an educational
pilot program for the US
being developed with TheiCenter
and made
possible through the generous support of the Jim Joseph Foundation and
others. The first film in the series, Echoes of a Shofar,
has been
viewed close to 200,000 times since its launch in September!

ToldotYisrael is a Jerusalem based nonprofit
dedicated to recording
and sharing the firsthand testimonies of the men and women who helped
found the State of Israel. Over 400 video interviews have been
conducted with those who were involved during the pre-State struggle
and the momentous events of 1948. Our aim is to conduct hundreds more
over the next several years -- while it is still possible. Eyewitness
1948 presents stories that address the heroism of the era as well as
the complex moral dilemmas confronted as the young nation battled for
its existence. ToldotYisrael's
footage serves as primary source
materials for educational curricula that bring to life the founding of
the State of Israel for today's young Jews.